But Life Still Goes On
by Devon Shea
Summary: Merlin is ready to meet his oldest grandchild. The Fates are happy to throw in a surprise.


The corridor outside the princess' chambers was full of too many people pacing up and down. The normally pragmatic and calm husband of the princess had his arms clasped behind him as he passed his father on each turn. He had to dodge his brother-in-law as he passed going the other way. Both men occasionally cast disgusted looks at the two men sitting on the bench with outward peace. How could their fathers be so calm right now? The young wizard's wife was in there making horrible sounds and sounding as if she was being tortured. Of course, neither of the older men was really calm, they had just had years of practice at projecting such a thing in the middle of a tenuous situation.

Merlin leaned over and nudged Arthur as Arthur's oldest son, Elyan, stumbled over the foot of Merlin's oldest son, Balinor, and whispered, "So, when do we make them sit down and stop pacing?"

Arthur's mouth quirked up slightly and he whispered back, "I say we just send them out to the training field and let them work out their nerves on each other."

"We _can _hear you two," Elyan snapped. "How can you sit there so damned calmly?" The Crown Prince of Camelot glared at his father and the man he'd called uncle since the day he was old enough to speak, "Igraine's in there going through hell and you two don't seem to care."

Merlin chuckled a bit, "Oh, we care. Trust me. It just doesn't do any good to pace or bite your fingers off at the joint." He nodded toward his son who was chewing on his already short fingernails. "Babies have a tendency to come when they feel like it, no sooner, no later."

Arthur snorted, "You took the better part of an entire day to make your appearance, Elyan. Tom was even worse. Actually, your sister was the easiest of the three of you."

"You paced so much for Elyan's birth that we had to have Gwaine and Percival drag you down to the training grounds just to give poor Gaius and Gwen some peace." Merlin laughed at the memory. "I thought Gwen was going to adopt your habit of chucking things at people's heads if you popped in again to ask how things were getting on. Gaius was definitely muttering something about nasty potions to slip in your mead."

Arthur's shoulders shook. "That poor dummy had to be replaced, I think." Merlin just nodded. "Of course, you had your own way of dealing with Mairwen having Balinor. I think we ended up just keeping a bucket of water handy to put out the little fires you kept kindling as you sat there pulling your hair all different ways. You were sparking, you were so nervous."

Merlin laughed. "Hey! I was better with the other three."

"Barely," Arthur scoffed. "It was little dust devils with Mim, wasn't it? Rain with Freya, I think. What was it with Lance?"

"Ah, snowflakes. I think it ended up as hail a few times, though."

"And that was when we took _you _out to the training field. Did we have to replace another set of pells that time? Or was that Leon?"

Merlin grinned, "No. That was when Elena had their second early. Gwaine was in a right state since Gareth wasn't due for another month. Leon was when we had to replace the ring fixture in the lists. He broke it after the seventh or eighth pass and dragged it down, nearly whomping himself and the horse."

The two men had successfully distracted their sons with their reminiscing.

"I think Perce is the only one of us who has been completely calm for each of his children's births."

Merlin chuckled. "I guess you didn't realize that Gwaine got him drunk off his arse for the first one. He wasn't calm at all, he was nearly passed out for part of the birth. We were late back from that patrol, remember? We missed out on the first few hours where Percival was in a full-blown panic attack. Selene herself ordered Gwaine to drag him to the Rising Sun when she realized what was going on and that she had plenty of time. We got here just in time for the birth. Didn't you ever wonder at Gwaine's black eye?"

"That was when that sorcerer decided to challenge you to single, armed combat, wasn't it? Honestly, I think I was more concerned that you wouldn't survive a non-magical duel than worry over what bar fight had earned Gwaine yet another black eye."

"Oh, come on. You'd think they'd know by now I have picked up a few pointers from you pointy-stick wielders. Enough to survive a duel with a crap swordsman, anyway."

Arthur didn't even thwap Merlin over the head for the pointy-stick remark, he'd heard it so often. He just rolled his eyes. "You cut yourself on a sword not a week ago, Merlin. And I still can't get you to handle a mace with any degree of skill, even after almost thirty years of practice."

"Oi! I can use a crossbow well."

"That's because mum insisted you learn, and taught you herself," Balinor muttered. "I still don't think you two are practicing when you say you are."

"Well, your little brother had to come about somehow, right?" Balinor shuddered. "Besides, I wouldn't talk, if I were you. We are, after all, awaiting the birth of your child. So, obviously, you and Igraine have practiced the crossbow a few times, at least."

Arthur put his hand on Merlin's sleeve, "Please, can we leave me with the illusion that my only daughter just magically became pregnant?"

Elyan snorted at the chagrined looks on both his father and brother-in-law 's faces. Balinor shoved the man he'd grown up with, "Shut up, Elyan." The Crown Prince shoved the wizard back and a short tussle ensued. Arthur and Merlin leaned back against the wall, content smiles on their faces. Their sons were so much like the two of them that when they'd been born only a few months apart from each other, the castle staff had started taking bets on which would be the biggest troublemaker. Unfortunately, the only winners had been those that had bet on the two banding together to form a dream team of mischief.

The tussle was distracting enough that none of the men heard the door to the chambers open. "Do I really need to put the two of you in separate corners at this age?" Queen Guinevere stood in the open doorway, arms crossed as she showed the perfected disapproving raised eyebrow she'd learned so well from Gaius before he'd passed on. "Or would you actually like to meet your daughter, Balinor?"

The two men looked up from the headlock Elyan had his brother-in-law in and both grinned.

Balinor straightened so quickly he caught Elyan off guard and slammed the back of his head into Elyan's chin, causing both of their eyes to start watering. He rubbed his head and threw a quick apology over his shoulder to his best friend as he darted past the queen.

Elyan rubbed his chin and started in after Balinor, but stopped when Gwen threw her arm across the door. "Let them have some privacy before you all go tromping in. Give them five minutes at least." Elyan grimaced, but nodded at his mother, stepping to the side of the doorway and leaning against it. He slid down into a cross-legged seat and sighed happily, ignoring his parents and uncle.

"And you two, letting them act like that. Don't think I didn't see you two grinning." Gwen started shaking her finger at her dearest friend and her dearest love.

Arthur grinned even wider and grasped the finger, using it to pull his wife into his lap. She didn't even put up a token protest as she leaned into his chest and sighed. "How is she, then?"

"Tired. She's small and the baby is actually fairly large. Merlin, I think she'll have your height." Gwen closed her eyes, "And she's absolutely gorgeous."

Merlin reached over and took the hand closest to him. "Then she'll have her grandmothers and mother to thank for that. And I have to thank you for helping bring my grand-daughter into this world." He squeezed her hand and smiled when she squeezed back.

Gwen smiled back at her oldest friend. "Mim is the one to be thanking. Mairwen and I just followed her orders. Oh, Gaius would have been so proud of her, Merlin. She's turning into a fine healer and physician." The three sat silently for a few moments, remembering their friend.

The quiet spell was broken when the door opened again. Mairwen looked out and saw the small group. "Well, I guess you can all come in now. Just be as quiet as possible."

They filed past Mairwen, Merlin pausing to slip his arm around his wife's waist. "And how are you, love?"

"Oh, we're all a bit tired, but it was amazing and I hope I never have to do it again. Igraine and Bal have a daughter and that's it. Mim and Freya are not allowed to have any children and Lance is absolutely not allowed to get anyone pregnant." Merlin laughed at the stubborn look on Mairwen's face and just hummed at her.

He found a spot that was unclaimed by the bed and waited his turn before giving his daughter-in-law a kiss on the forehead. "You did well, Igraine. How do you feel?"

She gave him a wan smile, "Tired. I think Bal is going to be sleeping somewhere else for a few years." Both of them laughed at her husband's mutter of protest. He was holding her hand and caressing her knuckles from the other side of the bed, waiting to claim his daughter back from the relatives cooing over the sleepy baby.

Eventually the little girl made her way over to Merlin. He held his arms out and received his first grandchild. He smiled tenderly and ran his finger down her cheek. Her skin was like the smoothest silk he had ever touched. He was about to hand her back to her mother so she could feed the babe when the little girl opened her eyes and looked right up at him. Newborn babies aren't supposed to be able to focus, but she did. The clear green eyes startled him for just a moment. His heart quickened. It couldn't be. Their gazes locked for a few moments before the baby closed her eyes and snuggled into her grandfather's arms, safe and secure in his warm and comforting embrace.

* * *

**These characters were spawned from my Stocks AU. Not quite sure what I'm going to do with Merlin's granddaughter yet, but she's going to be a pisser.**

**Merlin belongs to Shine and the BBC.**


End file.
